Many applications require pipelines that are capable of withstanding high pressures. An example of such an application is found in oil and gas well drilling. After a well is drilled, completion of the well may involve a procedure known as fracturing or “fracking”. In fracking, a fluid is pumped down the well at high pressure in order to increase the porosity of flowability of the oil and gas producing formation.
Fracturing pressures can be very high, as much as 15,000 psi. To get a sense of how high this is, compare 15,000 psi pressure with the more typical 60 to 70 psi found in a typical kitchen water faucet.
By its very nature, oil and gas well drilling is a temporary endeavor. During drilling and completion, a drilling rig is positioned on the well site. After completion and the well begins to produce, the drilling rig and other equipment are removed from the well site. This includes the fracking equipment.
The fracturing equipment includes one or more pumps and a pipe arrangement that extends from the pumps to the well. The pumps are mounted on a skid or trailer. The pipe arrangement has lengths of pipe connected together with fittings or couplings. Just like the other drilling rig equipment at the well site, the pipe arrangement is temporary; it is assembled onsite and used to convey high pressure fracking fluid from the pumps to the well, and then it is disassembled after use and moved to another well site.
During operation, if the pipe arrangement should fail by leaking or coming apart, then a dangerous situation rapidly develops, made so by the thousands of pounds of pressure in the pipe. The pipe moves in a reaction to the release of the high pressure fluid. In fact, the pipe moves too rapidly for personnel to react. Nearby personnel can be severely injured, and equipment damaged, by the moving pipe.
A safety restraint system can be applied to the pipe arrangement and is designed to minimize the movement of a pipe in case of a pipe failure. Prior art safety restraint systems are cumbersome, difficult to install and expensive.